Rimene may return

Prolific-scoring Marist first-five Patrick Rimene could still wear the Wairarapa-Bush jersey this season.
Rimene, who has scored 484 points in his 60 appearances for the combined unions, did not make himself available for the non-championship games against Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Manawatu but that should not be read to mean he has retired from representative play.
In fact, the good news is that Rimene will come into the reckoning for the 2007 Heartland championship campaign providing he is satisfied that the injury problems which have plagued him through the current club season will allow him to perform to an acceptable standard
An integral part of the Wairarapa-Bush side which won the very last NPC third division competition in 2005 and the inaugural Heartland title in 2006, Rimene was deservedly accorded national honours when he made the New Zealand divisional (or Heartland) side which undertook a brief tour of Argentina at the end of last season's Heartland campaign.
He admits the length of what was an intensive 2006 season did leave him feeling "flat" coming into the current season and while he has been a regular in the Marist team which leads the Wairarapa-Bush senior first division club competition he has also been battling injuries to his sternum and achilles.
"It's just been one thing after another so far and, quite honestly, the fitness wouldn't be up to playing rep rugby right now," Rimene said. "You can't afford to be struggling in that respect there, it's not fair on the team either."
Rimene is adamant though that the desire to represent Wairarapa-Bush is as still as strong as ever and that if his fitness concerns dissipate, and selectors Graeme Cheetham and Lofty Stevenson require him, then he would be willing to play.
"I haven't pulled the plug & no way," he said " If I'm fit enough and they want me I'll be there."
On the evidence of what has been seen in the Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Manawatu games Rimene's availability would be a godsend for Wairarapa-Bush.
In fact, Cheetham himself admits that of all the positions it is first-five which is proving the biggest headache as the time to name the 2007 Heartland squad draws ever closer.
"We've tried a few options and you could say we are still looking," Cheetham said. "It's an area of concern, no doubt about that."
Cheetham's next port of call in his search for a first-five capable of calling the shots at Heartland level will be Whareama this Saturday where a senior second division club match will see East Coast at home to Puketoi.
Both these teams have possible contenders for the worrisome spot, Te Maika Mason for East Coast and Jason Liverton for Puketoi.
They have each been named in the Wairarapa-Bush squad already this season but have yet to play because of injury and Cheetham is hopeful they will be on deck this weekend so he can judge their skills under match conditions.
If Mason and Liverton do not come up to scratch, if Rimene is unavailable and if Cheetham and Stevenson continue their policy of relying solely on local players for rep selection, then it would be no surprise to see Wairarapa-Bush use regular halfback Hamish McKenzie one place further out.
McKenzie, who also made the national Heartland side last season, has just returned to the Eketahuna club after a stint in the South Island and has made a decent fist of first-five when tried there before.
Helping to sway Cheetham and Stevenson that way could be the fact that in old hand James Bruce and new boy Mike Hollis they have two other players capable of doing job in the halfback role. Hollis, especially, was grand value against Manawatu and his form for Greytown-Tuhirangi since has been every bit as impressive.
Just when Cheetham and Stevenson will name the Wairarapa-Bush squad for their last non-championship game against Poverty Bay in Gisborne on August 11 has yet to be finalised but Cheetham confirmed that the squad named for that particular match would be that for the 2007 Heartland campaign as well.
That campaign will kick off with a match against West Coast at Masterton on August 18 and then will follow Thames Valley at Paeroa on August 25, King Country at Masterton on September 1, Horowhenua-Kapiti at Levin on September 8 and Mid-Canterbury at Masterton on September 15.